Public Procurement Directive

The Public Procurement Directive (Directive 2014/24/EU) is the EU's common rulebook for how public authorities buy goods, services and works. Its procedural rules apply to contracts above the EEA thresholds, which for 2026 and 2027 are €140,000 for central government, €216,000 for sub-central authorities and €5,404,000 for works. Because every EU and EEA country builds on the same directive, you meet the same basic rules wherever you bid in Europe.

How does the Public Procurement Directive work?

The directive was adopted on 26 February 2014 and replaced Directive 2004/18/EC. A directive does not bind suppliers directly. Each country transposes it into national law, and the national rules are what contracting authorities must follow. The directive is then used to interpret those rules, together with case law from the EU Court of Justice.

The most visible results for you are publication in TED, the ESPD as preliminary evidence, minimum time limits for tenders and a standstill period before the contract is signed.

The directive has two sister directives:

• Directive 2014/25/EU covers the utilities sectors (water, energy, transport and postal services). Read more about the Utilities Directive.
• Directive 2014/23/EU covers concession contracts. In Norway it is transposed in the concession contracts regulation.

The standstill period and the rule that a contract can be declared ineffective come from the Remedies Directive 89/665/EEC, as amended by Directive 2007/66/EC.

Each country has its own transposing law. Sweden has LOU, Denmark has udbudsloven, Finland has hankintalaki, Germany has the GWB and VgV, Spain has the LCSP, the Netherlands has the Aanbestedingswet 2012 and France has the code de la commande publique. Norway, as an EEA country, has incorporated the directive into Annex XVI of the EEA Agreement and transposed it in the Public Procurement Act and the public procurement regulation. In the Norwegian regulation, Part III contains the directive rules, while Part II contains national rules for contracts between the Norwegian national threshold (NOK 1.3 million) and the EEA thresholds.

On 9 September 2026 the European Commission proposed a single regulation to replace all three directives (COM(2026) 590, known as the "Public Procurement Act"), but it has not been adopted, would apply at the earliest two years after adoption and would then need to be incorporated into the EEA Agreement.

An example: A Norwegian IT supplier is considering a framework agreement for cloud operations for a Norwegian government agency, worth NOK 20 million. The value is above the EEA threshold, so the procedure follows Part III. The notice is published on Doffin and in TED, so suppliers from all over Europe can take part. The supplier fills in the ESPD instead of attaching every certificate, gets a time limit no shorter than the directive minimum and, once the authority has chosen a winner, the contract cannot be signed until the standstill period has ended. All of this comes from the directive.

Why does the Public Procurement Directive matter for suppliers?

Because the rules are the same across the EEA, new markets are closer than they look. You recognise the procedures, the ESPD and the time limits in every country. If you need to know which certificates another country uses, look it up in e-Certis.

The directive also helps when you suspect the authority has made a mistake. Arguments in review cases above the EU thresholds often rest on the wording of the directive and the case law of the EU Court of Justice. Tools like Cobrief help you find tenders above the thresholds and keep track of requirements and deadlines in the tender documents.

Frequently asked questions

Does the directive apply directly to my company?

No. The directive is transposed into national law, and it is the national rules that apply. The directive is used to interpret them.

Does the directive apply below the EU thresholds?

No, not the procedural rules. Below the thresholds, each country sets its own rules. The EU Treaty principles of equal treatment and transparency can still apply to contracts of cross-border interest.

What happens when the new EU regulation arrives?

Nothing changes yet. The directive and national laws apply as before until a new regulation is adopted, applies and, for Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein, has been incorporated into the EEA Agreement.

In short: the Public Procurement Directive is the common European rulebook behind national procurement laws. Know it, and you know the basic rules for large public contracts across the EEA.